Tourist Season Part 7: Spain

Okay, time to get back to our tourist season. I simply had to write about one of my favourite countries in Europe - Spain. I did hesitate trying to do the whole of Spain in a post like this but I decided to do it anyway and hope to do it justice. I have been to Spain many times and it is one of those countries that keep me going back for more. I am totally in love with Spain and can't wait to go back!

On a beach at Torremolinos

First Impressions: I have seen many Spanish films over the years and given that I already do speak French, I expected Spain to be similar to France - well, a hotter version of France. So yes, I did know quite a bit about Spain before getting there - so when I got there, I already spoke some Spanish (well, it's not hard when you are fluent in French) and I would never forget the first conversation I had in Madrid Barajas Airport with this rather old lady. Like this was literally moments after I got my luggage, I had barely been in Spain for 20 minutes.

Old lady: Excuse me, do you speak English please?
Limpeh: Yes, sure.
Old lady: Can you help me please?
Limpeh: Oh, I only just got here...
Old lady: My luggage was lost on the flight here, I have no money - can you give me something please?  I just want to get home.
Limpeh: I have no Spanish Pesetas I'm afraid... (This was before the days of the Euro.)
Old lady: What do you have? You can give me American dollars? British pounds? Japanese Yen? Canadian dollars?
Limpeh: Really. If I told you I had Japanese Yen...
Old lady: Then yes, you give me and I can take it to the money changer.
Limpeh: Adios señora!

Exploring the ancient town of Toledo. It was very, very hot. 

Yup, I didn't give her anything - she pushed it too far when she mentioned Japanese Yen, yeah right. Perhaps back in those days, Asian people were rare in Spain and that was my experience then - I remember going to these small villages in the interior and the kids would stare at me as if they haven't seen an Asian person before. Boy, how much have things changed since - you think there are many PRCs in Singapore? Well, Spain's rather relaxed immigration rules have allowed many Chinese migrants to arrive in Spain in recent years. Officially, the figure is 150,000 but the true figure including illegal migrants is probably a lot higher. By that token, you'll be able to get stunningly good quality Chinese food in most Spanish cities.

Back then, the local Spanish people were quite intrigued by the fact that I could speak some Spanish - but it was a funny kind of Spanish whereby I would use French when I didn't know the word for something in Spanish, so it was this strange mix of French + Spanish, like, "Yo quiero aller au estacion de train plus tard por favor." The only Chinese people they have met before didn't speak any Spanish or at least Spanish with a strong Chinese accent - and there I was, speaking in a bizarre mix of Spanish and French. Heck, today, if I speak Spanish, they'll just assume that I'm one of the thousands of PRC migrants in Spain today.

Sunset over Mijas, Southern Spain

Getting there: Like France, Spain is extremely well connected to all parts of Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia by air. You can also cross over to Spain by land from France or Portugal (by bus or train) - or you can get a ferry as well from anywhere in the Mediterranean.

Transport: I am actually very impressed with public transport in Spain - whether you're talking about the metro system in Madrid or Barcelona, the splendid inter-city rail system or travelling by bus, they have an extremely efficient, well run public transport system. Yes, some parts of the metro systems may not as be as shiny and new like they are in Singapore - but otherwise, their inter-city rail system is comfortable, modern and dare I say it, substantially better than its counterpart in the UK. On the Madrid to Seville high speed line, they are so confident of getting you to your destination that you are offered a FULL REFUND promise if your train is more than just 5 minutes late. Ha! Now you know why I say Spanish trains rock and British trains suck.

Downtown Barcelona - yes that's a winter coat!

On my earlier trips to Spain, I used to rely on trains and buses but in more recent trips, I have always rented a car instead. Why? Because it is the best way to see Spain - you could be driving along trying to get from A to B and suddenly, you spot something from the corner of your eye and you think, "woah, what is that?!" If you were on the train, too bad, it would just woosh by and you'll never find out. If you were in a car, you could simply drive towards that amazing sight you've just seen and find out.

That was exactly how I discovered the small town on Antequera when en route from Malaga to Cordoba. That little town blew my mind - it was like stepping back in time a hundred years in the old town full of lovingly preserved quaint old buildings, yet few tourists actually visit it because they simply focus on the bigger cities and more famous sites. Ah, but be warned, like the rest of continental Europe - they drive on the wrong side of the road in Spain.

Yup, I just stumbled upon Antequera. It wasn't planned. 

Now Spain is big enough to have internal flights but the question as always is: should you bother? The rail network is absolutely brilliant where there are high speed lines: Alta Velocidad Española (AVE - High Speed Spanish), Say if you say wanted to go from A Coruña (in Galicia) to Seville, then there is a direct flight that takes 1 hour 25 minutes and as A Coruña is not on their high speed network, then it makes sense to fly. But if your destinations are on the AVE high speed rail network or at least a short distance from it, then always use the high speed trains. There are also popular destinations which are not on mainland Spain: the Balaeric Islands (Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca, Formentera), Islas Canarias  (the Canary Islands, too many to name) and the Spanish enclaves in north Africa Ceuta and Melilla. If you were already on the coast, then ferry may be an option (and it could be the scenic way to travel) but otherwise, flying is always faster if you're starting your journey from the interior.

Attractions: There so much to see and do in Spain - allow me to group them into the following categories: culture-history, sports-nature and party-time. In terms of culture, the best place to start is the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Spain - now there are just way too many for me to name here, but some of the most famous ones include the Mezquita in Cordoba, the Alhambra in Granada, the Escorial in Madrid, the ancient town of Toledo, Alcazar Cathedral in Seville, the Aranjuez in Madrid, Park Guell and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona - and hey, we're just touching the tip of the iceberg here. How much time do you have in Spain because you're not going to get to see them all and each one of these sites deserve at least half a day to fully appreciate them!

Looking down at the bullring of Malaga 

Spain also has a very varied landscape - from arid deserts in the south to snow capped peaks in the  Pyrénées (skiing, anyone?) to stunningly beautiful beaches (surfing, anyone?) to majestic volcanic landscapes that look more like the surface of Mars on Lanzarote (mountain biking, anyone?). Spain is a living physical geography classroom, where you can see mother nature at her wildest and most beautiful. Even when you're travelling across the country, all you have to do is look out of the window of your train, plane or bus and you may just see some stunning landscapes and scenery. Yes you will take many, many photos.

I simply have to include 'party-time' as a separate category - I'd like to talk about the party capital of the world, Ibiza. Ibiza is a very small island, 571.6 km square - about 80% the size of Singapore with a local population of just 132,637. However, over 6 million visitors descended on the island last year, looking for a good time at clubs like Privilege, Space, Pacha, Es Paradis, Eden and Amnesia. These club attract not just tourists, but famous DJs and singers as well. The island is idyllic and peaceful during the off-season (winter to spring) and it is heaving with tourists during the party season (late spring to autumn).

In the port of Eivissa, on Ibiza 

Even in a place like Ibiza, many tourists forget that there are UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the island as well - such as the old town and the port in Eivissa and Sa Caleta. And if you're after nature - just get a rental car and go drive around the island - once you're out of the main towns of Eivissa and Sant Antoni, the rest of the island is surprising rural and you can discover some stunningly rustic landscapes and cliffs around the island. You like beautiful beaches? Take your pick, it's all around you - you're on an island in the Mediterranean.  All that, on an island smaller than Singapore - and that's just one of the Spanish islands. There are 12 Spanish islands with more than 5,000 inhabitants and plenty more with smaller populations just waiting for you to explore.

Weather: Because Spain is in Southern Europe, it is generally milder than the rest of Europe - so even in the winter, most of Spain is frost free and even in double figures. However, altitude can be a factor, so for example: Madrid is at the altitude of 650m - not that high, but high enough to ensure that they do get snow in the winter. Up in the Pyrénées up by the French border, the mountains are so high there are ski resorts and it can drop to -32 in the winter. During the winter months however, some parts of Spain like Bilbao can be decidedly wet and it can feel miserable trying to walk around the city with an umbrella, drenched by the rain.

Discovering the majestic coastline in Ibiza

I will however, issue a weather warning for the summer. Spain is best avoided in the summer (June to September) because it is so ridiculously hot in the interior reaching 47.2 degrees. I have experienced 45 degrees in summer in Spain and it was ridiculous - there I was in Seville, one of the most stunning cities in the world and I was physically sick from the heat. I thought, yeah I'm from Singapore I can put up with the heat - oh I was totally wrong. Above 40 degrees it's not even a matter of discomfort, your body will protest and you will feel ill. Even when I returned in spring, I had 33 degrees in Cordoba in May and 30 degrees in Ibiza in April and it still felt hot but bearable. Most Spaniards will be hiding indoors in air-conditioned comfort when it is above 40 degrees and there are only tourists out and about in that kind of heat, trying to go sightseeing.

Hence with the range of +47 to -32, that's a 79 degrees - that's a much bigger range than most countries in the world! However, Spanish weather is usually fairly predictable and the best times to visit are spring and autumn, when you get to avoid the worst of the summer heat and winter rain. Even if you do visit Spain in the summer, bear in mind there is always a difference between the interior and the coast - whilst it bakes to 45 degrees in the interior, it will probably reach about 35 degrees in the coast. That is a difference of 10 degrees which will also be felt in the winter, when it is far milder on the coasts than in the interior.

On the beach in Chiringuito, Ibiza

Food: Oh you're in for a treat. Spanish food is famous around the world and here's the great news: you don't have to spend a lot of money to eat very well. I think it is because of the availability of quality ingredients being widely available - let's take something very simple for example: bread. At the start of every meal, you'll get a bread basket and some olive oil. Maybe you would sprinkle some salt and pepper in the olive oil, but that's not necessary really as the olive oil is already bursting with flavour. The bread would probably be baked with the same olive oil and would have the delicate aroma that only olive oil can give bread. I would have to stop myself eating too much bread with olive oil as it is so delicious, but I have to make sure I do not fill up on bread and still have space for the main meal.

When one talks about Spanish cuisine, one thinks of paella, but there's so much more to Spanish food! There are just too many dishes to name here, so here's what you ought to do. Find a restaurant which is crowded with locals - the locals won't eat there if the food isn't good. There will usually be a 'menu del dia' - the menu of the day. For a fixed price, you will get a starter, main course and desert. They will usually throw in bread and water for free - but if you want other drinks like wine or a fruit juice, you will have to pay extra. The menu will usually be in Spanish so if you're unable to read it, just look around at what the other diners are having and I am sure you will be able to spot something delicious in the room. The all you have to do is point at it and say, "Yo quiero eso, por favor." (I want that, please.)

Paella - the national dish of Spain

One thing the Spanish are so good at are cured meats - Iberico hams, Serrano hams and chorizo (Spanish sausages which resemble salami). They are salty but oh so tasty in sandwiches, in salads or just on their own. Forget the awful hams they eat in America and Britain, the Spanish would never touch such awful crap. Spanish hams are in a class of their own. I can never go back to eating British ham after having had Spanish ham.

Drink: I'm not sure I'm the best person to write this section as I am totally teetotal and the Spanish are famous for their wines! The Spanish also have a great coffee culture - coffee is always of stunningly good quality and consumed throughout the day. Otherwise, if you're after something local, try a Sangria, Sidra, Cava or a local Spanish beer. If you're teetotal like me, try the hot chocolate - it is a lot thicker than in other countries, it can be like melted chocolate! Great in the winter, probably not so suitable on hot days. There's also Horchata - a nutty malt drink which is popular in Latin America. It's tasty and unusual, please do try it when you're in Spain. It's great with churros!

That's Barcelona in the background. 

Prices: Like all other European countries, you get a big choice in Spain from budget to luxury - what kind of holiday do you want? You can spend 8 euros on a menu del dia in a little cafeteria in a street corner of 80 euros on a grand dinner in a posh restaurant. Likewise for accommodation, the same principle applies. So really, it is what you can afford and what you're used to. Don't expect to get bargains - yes Spain may be cheaper than places like Germany, the UK, Switzerland or Sweden, but you will get what you pay for. If you pay 30 euros a night for a hostel, it will be very basic. By that token however, yes it is possible to do Spain on a shoestring, if you're prepared to rough it out.

Language: Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Galician and Occitan along with many regional dialects - French is spoken near the French border, Portuguese is spoken near the Portuguese border. The locals speak a little English - but the standard of English in Spain is much lower than in countries like Netherlands, Germany and Sweden. Of course, if you're in a place where they deal with tourists all the time - a hotel, an airport, a tourist attraction, a gift shop, sure they will speak some English, but wander off the tourist trail and you will find that the locals speak very little English.

Why? Spanish is one of the world's widely spoken language - about 470 million people speak Spanish. Most of central and South America speaks Spanish, as does a substantial minority in North America. Compare this to say, the Estonian language. Estonian is only spoken by 1.1 million people - if you only spoke Estonian and nothing else, well that would seriously limit your education, your entertainment and so many aspects of your life. This is why you're far more likely to find bilingual/trilingual/multilingual people in Estonia than in Spain.

If you need to ask a local for help, for example, for directions, always try to go for someone around the age range of 18 - 30. Any younger, they may not have learnt enough English at school. The older the person, the less likely they are to have learnt any English - or they have have done so at school so long ago, they have forgotten most of it. The most likely people you'll need to communicate with are waiters in restaurants and unless you're in a very expensive, high class restaurant - your waiters are highly unlikely to speak any English at all. Likewise, unless you're in a very touristy place - menus will not be in English. You will need to understand Spanish well enough to read a menu and be able to order your meal in Spanish - it's probably easier than you think and you really only need the basics.

Park Guell in Barcelona, truly unforgettable

English rating: (Out of 5) 2.5 stars - it really depends on what kind of holiday experience you're after. In places where they want your tourist money, they will gladly speak English with you. However, this tends to be individuals who have made an effort to learn English - the Spanish education system is not exactly turning out generations of students who are fluent in English. Many older Spanish people may have studied English for years and still not even have the confidence to have the most basic conversation in English with a foreigner. However, thanks to the internet, many younger Spaniards are far more confident with English.

Once you leave the big cities, you're far less likely to find people who speak English well. If you intend to make the most of your holiday in Spain, then you really should get a phrase book or at least download some useful phrases off the internet - keep the phrases handy in your pocket so in a worst case scenario, you can always take out the phrase book/list and point to it. Remember, like French (and all other European languages), you cannot read Spanish as if it is English - yes the alphabet may look similar but many consonants are pronounced differently. So you really should invest at least 20 hours studying Spanish before going to Spain - trust me, it'll be well worth it.

At the Alhambra, Granada. 

Beware:  Do always check the weather (ref: section on weather), do be very sensible in the summer. I have fallen very sick after trying to go sightseeing when it was above 40 degrees and there's only so much punishment the body can take with that kind of heat. It does get ridiculously hot in Spain - so you should always plan some indoor activities, such as visiting a mall, gallery or museum when it is very hot.

It is also important to check if your hotel has air-conditioning for two reasons: firstly, you don't want to be lying in bed, feeling hot and sweaty, unable to sleep in the sweltering heat. Secondly, Spanish people are quite nocturnal and people will sit around and talk late into the night - there will always be some noise from the streets and the only way to block out (some of) that noise is to close your window and you can't do that unless you have air-conditioning.

On a very, very hot day in Madrid - recognize the SAF shorts? 

Safety: Spain is quite safe, although the usual warnings regarding thefts, pickpockets and conmen apply. I have never had any problems. Yes they are in the middle of a deep recession, but it hasn't changed Spain that much really. Whilst Spain has been a target of terrorism by Al-Qaeda and Basque separatists over the years, but you should be far more worried about pickpockets and muggers than terrorists frankly. In an emergency, you can call 112 - the Spanish equivalent of 999 - from any phone and I'm sure they will get hold of someone who speaks English to help you in a genuine emergency. Relax, Spain is very tourist-friendly.

Comparisons: Obviously Spain will remind you of other Mediterranean countries like Italy and Greece because of the climate, but the language may also remind you of other Spanish speaking countries in Latin America.

At Park Guell, in Barcelona

Do I need a guide? No. You don't. Spain is very tourist friendly - all you need to do is to spend some time planning your trip beforehand and once you get there, you can get enough help from the local tourist office and the hotel to get around. Yes people do speak some English and you should be perfectly fine on your own - especially if you do know a bit of Spanish. Do your homework before your trip and always plan ahead.

So there you go, it's hard to do Spain justice in this format but I am glad I have managed to complete this piece as my friend is likely to visit Spain in his holiday. If you have any other questions regarding Spain or any other tourist/travel related issues, do leave me a message below, muchas gracias!